The art through the years has endeavored to provide protective devices for wounds, cuts, incisions and abrasions to enhance the healing process while attempting to shield the injured tissue from unwanted or unexpected bumps and abrasions which dislodge the scab formation and from foreign matter which would otherwise impede the natural progress of the healing.
One of the more popular of such devices was the so-called BAND-AID.RTM. which was developed and marketed by Johnson and Johnson of Rahway, N.J. This device comprises a gauze-like pad, with or without antiseptic impregnated therewithin, which engages the wound, and a pair of adhesive tape strips, each extending away from the pad, to secure the bandage to the skin adjacent the wound. While serving a need in the health care field, such bandages also suffered from the propensity of the scab to "grow" into the gauze-like pad with the end result that in changing a soiled pad, the scab was also frequently removed prematurely with the result that the healing process was substantially retarded. A further disadvantage of the BAND-AID.RTM. device resulted when it was applied to especially hirsute individuals who found that their hairs which were disposed beneath the tape fasteners were literally torn out by their roots when the tapes were removed.
Through the succeeding years, variants were presented in an attempt to obviate these problems. Such variations including the use of dome or cup-shaped covers secured ty separate adhesive means as shown in Lesher, (U.S. Pat. No. 2,632,443), Schimmel, (U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,626) and Connally, (U.S. Pat. No. 1,616,156).
Other variations such as that described in Reinitz, (U.S. Pat. No. 1,956,695) involved transparent impermeable device secured by an adhesive strip for collecting secretions while Barbieri (U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,387) disclosed a similar device which included fluid valves. Stumpf, (U.S. Pat. No. 2,785,677) and Schaar, (U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,296) each disclose a protective device having a domed portion but each suffered from a "green house" effect whereby bacteria were "cultured" at the wound site and instead of healing, the wound became infected.
Further, none of these prior devices were able to provide the protected wound with the healing environment desired nor were they able to create the mechanically stable protection necessary to prevent premature dislodgement of the scab formation.
Accordingly, it is apparent that a major need remains unfilled in the care and protection of human wounds and like insults to human tissue and it is toward this need that the present invention is directed.